4. What is creative thinking?
• Creative thinking is the process of
generating novel ideas and alternative
courses of action, no matter how good
those ideas and alternatives might be.
• Creative thinking is often characterized
as thinking “outside the box”.
5. Creative thinking barriers
• Searching for the one “right” answer
– Most educational systems teach that there is one
“right” answer to a problem. This is a boon to
creativity since it acts as a block to brainstorming.
• Focusing on “being logical”
– Being logical is valuable when evaluating ideas and
implementing them, however, focusing too much
effort on being logical in the early imaginative phases
discourages the use of intuition.
6. • Blindly following the rules
– Often times, creativity depends on our ability
to break existing rules so we can find new
ways of doing things.
• Constantly being practical
– Suspending practicality for a while frees the
mind to consider creative solutions that,
otherwise, might never arise.
7. • Fearing looking foolish
– Creative thinking is no place for conformity.
New ideas are rarely born in a conforming
environment. People tend toward conformity
to avoid looking foolish.
• Fearing mistakes and failure
– Trying something new often leads to failure,
however, failure should not be seen as an
end; but rather as pit stops toward success.
8. The Creative Process
1-Preparation
:: Prepare the mind for creative thinking (formal
education, work experience, etc)
2-Investigation
:: Develop a solid understanding of the problem or
decision
3-Transformation
:: View the similarities and differences in the information
collected
9. 4-Incubation
:: Give the subconscious time to reflect on the
information (daydream, relax, etc)
5-Illumination
:: The creation of an innovative idea
6-Verification
:: Validate the idea is accurate and useful (conduct
experiments, prototypes, etc)
7-Implementation
:: Transform the idea into reality
10. Creative thinking types
• Convergent thinking: is the ability to see
the similarities and connections among
various data and events.
• Divergent thinking: is the ability to see
differences among various data and
events.
19. Analogical Thinking
• The most common creative process is
analogical thinking--the transfer of an idea
from one context to a new one. Perhaps
80 percent of creative ideas are rooted in
analogical thinking, and examples abound
in every field of human creativity
20. Brain storming
• Brainstorming is a process in which a
small group of people interact with very
little structure with the goal of producing a
large quantity of novel and imaginative
ideas.
21. Mind mapping
• Mind-mapping is a graphical technique
that encourages thinking on both sides of
the brain, visually displays the various
relationships among ideas, and improves
the ability to view a problem from many
sides.
22. Lateral thinking
• seeking to solve problems by apparently
illogical means
• a process and willingness to look at things
in a different way
• a relatively new type of thinking that
complements analytical and critical
thinking not part of our mainstream
education - yet
23. • a fast, effective tool used to help
individuals, companies and teams solve
tough problems and create new ideas,
new products, new processes and new
services.
• a term that is used interchangeably with
creativity
25. The Red Hat
• What do you feel
about the
suggestion?
• What are your gut
reactions?
• What intuitions do
you have?
• Don’t think too long
or too hard.
26. The White Hat
• The information
seeking hat.
• What are the facts?
• What information is
available? What is
relevant?
• When wearing the
white hat we are
neutral in our
thinking.
27. The Yellow Hat
• The sunshine hat.
• It is positive and
constructive.
• It is about
effectiveness and
getting a job done.
• What are the
benefits, the
advantages?
28. The Black Hat
• The cautious hat.
• In black hat the
thinker points out
errors or pit-falls.
• What are the risks or
dangers involved?
• Identifies difficulties
and problems.
29. The Green Hat
• This is the creative
mode of thinking.
• Green represents
growth and
movement.
• In green hat we look
to new ideas and
solutions.
• Lateral thinking
wears a green hat.
30. The Blue Hat
• The control hat,
organising thinking
itself.
• Sets the focus, calls
for the use of other
hats.
• Monitors and reflects
on the thinking
processes used.
• Blue is for planning.
33. • It is targeted on the specific job
• It is carefully and clearly laid out
• It is informative but concise
• It is accurate in content, spelling
and grammar
• Be honest
34. Job Skills You Should List on
Your Resume
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Research and Planning
• Organizational Skills
• Management Skills
35. Cover letter writing
• What is a cover letter?
• A cover letter is a formal letter that
accompanies your résumé. Use it
to introduce yourself to potential
employers, and to convince them
that you’re the right person for the
job.
36. • What information to include in your
cover letter
• Your cover letter should give an
employer an idea of who you
are, and explain what skills you
could bring to the job.
37. Content
• Paragraph 1: a positive, formal
introduction outlining how you heard about
the opportunity, listing the documents you
have enclosed (such as your CV).
• Paragraph 2: outline why you are
interested in the role and the organization,
demonstrating in depth research and
mature reflection on how the opportunity
fits into your career plans.
38. • Paragraph 3: highlight your key skills
and experiences.
• Paragraph 4: highlight your key skills
and experiences.
• Paragraph 5: end positively outlining
when you will be available for interview